Plane crash in NY state kills 49
A teenage boy who lived nearby described the scene
Forty-nine people have died after a passenger plane crashed into a house in Buffalo, New York state.
The Continental Connection flight 3407 was five minutes from Buffalo airport when it came down at 2210 (0310 GMT).
Officials said there were no survivors from the 44 passengers and four crew on board the flight from Newark. One person on the ground also died.
It is not clear what caused the crash. There was reported to be light snow and fog at the time.
TV footage showed a house engulfed in flames and the tail of the plane sticking out of the ground.
 |
State police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons said that of the 48 people on the plane, "there were no survivors".
Erie County Executive Chris Collins said there were three people in the house that was hit.
One died and the other two - believed to be a woman and child - managed to escape with apparently minor injuries, he said.
'Dropped off radar'
The twin-prop Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, was flying from Newark airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
US media say a recording of Buffalo's air traffic control before the crash showed no concerns by either the controller or the pilot.
However, a minute later, the controller was unable to contact flight 3407 and asked other planes in the area if they could spot it.
 |  It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped. Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion  Eyewitness David Luce |
One airport official said he had been told "the plane simply dropped off the radar screen".
Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing unusual sounds coming from the plane before it crashed.
"It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped," David Luce, who lives 150 yards (137m) from the crash site, told the Buffalo News.
"Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house."
He described going to the scene of the crash and seeing flames up to 50ft (15m) high.
"The house was already flattened. There was no house, just a pile of rubbish and still burning," he said.
Dave Bissonette, emergency control director in Clarence, described the crash as a "catastrophic event".
"It's remarkable that it only took one house," he added.
"As devastating as that was, it could have easily wiped out that entire neighbourhood.
"The fuselage of the plane lies directly on the footprint of the house. It basically dove right into the top of the house from my perspective, and again I am no expert on recreations, but it landed on the house," he said.
Investigation
Relatives of the victims have been gathering at a hastily arranged family assistance centre.
Chris Kausner said his sister Elise, a law student, was on the flight.
"I'm thinking about the fact that my mother has to fly home from Florida and what I'm going to tell my two sons," he said.
Officials say the fire had been brought under control and the area has been sealed off.
An investigation into the accident is expected to begin at midday local time on Friday, when the site has cooled down enough.
The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team of investigators to the scene.
Continental Airlines expressed profound sadness over the crash and said it was working closely with Colgan Air to "provide as much support as possible for all concerned".
Did you witness the plane crash? Are you in the area?
You can send pictures and video to: yourpics@bbc.co.uk or to send via MMS please dial +44 (0)7725 100 100.
Do not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
Send your comments using the post form below.
In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment